Car-coupling.



J.TATE.

CAR OUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED PEB. v12, 1914. 1,128,386. Patented Feb.16, 1915.

` A TTORNE YS.

'HE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHDTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

JASPER Tarn, or GRAPE CREEK, ILLINOIS.

CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ratemedreb. i6, 19155.

Application filed February 12, 1914. Serial No. 818,304.

T0 all whom it may concern.' u

Be it known that I, J AsrnR TATE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grape Creek, in the county of Vermilion and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplers; and I do declare the following to be clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to automatic car couplers and more particularly to couplers of this class for use on pit-cars.

One object of the invention is to provide a car coupler which while composed of a minimum number of parts has a maximum efficiency.

Another object is to provide a car coupler which will automatically couple on the coming together of the cars equipped therewith and thus greatly economize in the use of the mine operators time as well as avoid all possible danger of accidents.

Another object is to provide simple and efficient means for reliably holding the coupler members in engaged operative position.

With these and other objects in view, the

invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination andl arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and claimed. In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the ends of two cars connected by this improved coupler, a coupler being shown insection; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the coupler detached and with the members in engaged position; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the coupler members arranged in juxtaposition ready for engagement.

In the embodiment illustrated the ends of two cars C, C are shown coupled together by this improved coupler (see Fig. 1). As shown this improved coupler is mounted on the draw-bars b of a mine car but it may be mounted in any other 'suitable or desired manner and comprises a casting 1 having a semi-circular head 2 provided with an upstanding flange 3 on its rounded outer edge which is adapted to coact with a similarly shaped head on the cooperating or supplementary casting carried by the adjacent car to perform the function of bumpers. This casting 1 has a longitudinally extending slot 4 in which is pivotally and slidably mounted a grab hook 5, the shank a full,

of which extends right angles lto the bodyr portion thereof and projects through said slot having a head G at its free end for engagement with the lower face of the casting 1 to prevent its accidental disconnection therefrom. This shank is also provided at opposite sides with shoulders 7 and 8 which are adapted to overlap and slidably engage the upper face of thecasting 1 on opposite sides of the slot l to hold the hook in operative position and prevent its slipping through the slot. The bill 9 of this hook is of ordinary construction being preferably inturned as shown to afford a reliable engagement with the receiving member to be described. A forwardly extending finger 10 is mounted on the upper face of the body portion of the hook 5 being preferably made integral therewith and which is designed for a purpose to be described. v

A receiving casting 11 is secured to the opposite end of the draw-bar o so that when' two cars are brought together, the hook 5 on one end of one car will be arranged in position for cooperation with the receiving member 11 on the adjacent end kof ang other car as .is shown clearly in Fig. 1. This casting 11 may be secured by any suitable means to the draw-bar or other suping inwardly from the curved outer edge thereof is an elongated slot 14 positioned to receive the bill 9 of the hook 5 when the cars C-C are moved toward each other as shown in Fig. 1. A downwardly and forwardly inclined apron 15 is secured to the front edge or end o-f the head 12, being flared outwardly toward its lower end to provide an extended engaging surface-for the hook 5 so that said hook will engage said apron when the cars are in curved or in any other position. This apron is provided on its side edges with upstanding guide flanges 16 adapted to guide the hook toward the socket or slot 14C which socket is surrounded by an upstanding flange. 17 which is preferably made continuous with the bumper flange 13 disposed at opposite sides of the slot.

l A hook locking member is shown-in the form of a bar 18 pivotally mounted in suitable brackets or bearings 19 on the end of the car C and which has a handle 20 eX- tending laterally from its pivoted end and adapted to be disposed on the side of the car in position for operation without necessitating the operators passing between the cars to be uncoupled. This bar 18 is arranged obliquely to the handle 20 and swings normally by gravity outward into the position shown in F ig. 1 whereby it is caused to engage the upper face or edge of the hook 5 in front of the finger or stop 10 which limits its outward swinging, the weight of the arm 2O tending to throw the bar 18 outward. `When in this position, the hook 5 is reliably held in operative engagement with the slot in the receiving member 11 as is shown clearly in F ig. 1 and the cars cannot be uncoupled until the handle member 2O is swung upwardly thus moving the bar 18 inwardly toward the end of the car on which it is mounted and thereby releasing the hook 5 which may be then moved upwardly out of the socket or slot 14.- by hand or by any suitable means disposed at a point remote from the hook such as is ordinarily employed for uncoupling coupler members and which it is not thought necessary to show in these drawings as it forms no part of this invention.

From the above description, it will be obvious that by forming the apron 15 with a wide lower end inclined upwardly and converging toward the slot 14 the hook 15 will be guided into the slot 14 should the cars be on a curved track or one end thereof raised higher than the other for any reason such as occurs when one end of a car is loaded heavier than the other. The slot -l permits the grab hook 5 to have suilicient play for starting a train of cars with ease and with little shock.

This improved coupler it will thus be seen, is composed of three parts only, to wit: rlhe casting 1 having a grab hook 5 pivotally and slidably mounted thereon and the receiving casting 11 whereby a cheaply constructed coupler may be provided and one which may be made very strong.

l claim as my invention:

1. An automatic car coupler comprising a casting having a grab hook pivotally mounted thereon, a cooperating casting having a hook receiving slot and means disposed in a plane above said hook and positioned to bear on and lock said hook in engagement with said slot.

2. An automatic car coupler comprising a casting having a grab hook pivotally mounted thereon, a coperating casting having a hook receiving slot and gravity Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing car car'-r a plane hook in controlled means mounted on the rying the slotted casting and in above said hook for locking said engagement with said slot.

3. An automatic car coupler comprising a casting having a grab hook pivotally and slidably mounted thereon and having a forwardly extending linger on its upper face and swinging means disposed in a plane above said hook and positioned to bear on and lock said hook in engagement with said slot, said means being limited in its-outward swinging movement by said nger.

1. An automatic car coupler comprising hook and socket members each having a semi-circular head at the front end thereof with the rounded edge disposed outwardly and provided with an upwardly extending flange, the hook of one member being adapted to engage the socket on the other and a guiding plate on said socketed member for directing said hook into said socket.

5. A car coupler comprising two coperating members each of which has a rounded outer end provided with an upstanding flange, one of said members having a longitudinally extending slot spaced 'from its flanged outer end, a hook having a right angularly disposed shank mounted to slide in said slot and provided with means for preventing its accidental withdrawal, the other member having an elongated slot eX- tending inwardly from its curved outer edge and surrounded by a guiding lange and an apron extending downwardly and 'forwardly from the curved edge of said member and having side flanges merging into the flange surrounding said slot.

6. The combination with cars to be connected, one having a coupler member mounted on one end and provided with a pivoted hook, the adjacent end of the other car having a hook receiving member provid ed with a slot for said hook and a hook locking member carried by the car having the receiving member mounted thereon, comprising a bar pivotally mounted on the front end of said car and inclining downwardly and outwardly and a handle iixed to the pivoted end of said bar and operable by ,C raviti7 to force said bar outwardly, and means on said hook for engaging and limiting the outward swinging movement of said locking` bar.

ln testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JASPER TATE.

Witnesses r l/VM. PILKINGTON, JOHN BROWN.

the Commissioner o? Entente,

Washington, D. C. 

